What Retail West does

Retail West Inc is a privately held commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in retail properties across California. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Sausalito, the firm operates from three offices (Sausalito, Lafayette, and Los Angeles) and provides tenant representation, landlord representation, and business growth strategy services. The broker team covers distinct Bay Area sub-markets (East Bay, North Bay, San Francisco, Peninsula, South Bay, and broader Northern California) and has recently expanded into Southern California through a Los Angeles office led by four newly recruited partners.

The firm serves four primary customer segments: national and regional retail tenants expanding into California, commercial property owners and landlords seeking lease-up strategies, growing businesses and emerging retail concepts needing site selection, and real estate developers requiring tenant placement for new retail assets. Retail West's client roster includes Sprouts Farmers Market, Trader Joe's, Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Kura Sushi, North Italia, Goop Kitchen, Fitness SF, Club Studio, and Ike's Love & Sandwiches, among others. Notable producer Lee Ann Rosenblum has executed 1,000+ transactions totaling more than $2 billion, while founder Matt Holmes brings over 30 years of executive leadership.

Revenue is generated entirely through transaction commissions on completed lease and sale deals, the standard commercial real estate brokerage model. Distribution is direct, via specialized brokers rather than intermediaries, supported by an active ICSC conference presence, Instagram-led marketing, and a co-listing relationship with CBRE on select properties. The firm carries no disclosed external capital, no proprietary technology product beyond standard brokerage listing tools, and no AI/ML capability.

Name

Retail West

Legal name

Retail West Inc

Website

https://retailwestinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Retail West Inc is a privately held California commercial real estate brokerage specializing in retail tenant and landlord representation, serving national and regional retail tenants, property owners, and developers across the Bay Area and Southern California through a commission-based transaction model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sausalito

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Commercial Real Estate Brokerage: Full-service commercial real estate brokerage providing tenant representation and landlord services for retail properties. Revenue generated through commissions on completed lease and sale transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Retail West is a commercial real estate brokerage that provides tenant representation and landlord representation services for retail properties across California. The firm brokers lease and sale transactions for national and regional retail tenants (restaurants, QSR, fitness, grocery) and lease-up services for property owners, covering the full deal lifecycle from site selection through lease execution. Retail West also offers business growth strategies and creative lease-up strategies for both tenants and landlords.

Product overview

Retail West is a commercial real estate brokerage firm providing tenant and landlord representation services across the Bay Area and Southern California. The company offers property leasing, sales, and business growth strategy services through a team of specialists. Their service offering encompasses commercial retail properties across multiple California regions including East Bay, North Bay, San Francisco, Peninsula, South Bay, and Northern California, as well as a newly established Los Angeles office for Southern California coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tenant Representation Site selection, lease negotiation, and deal execution services for retailers and restaurant brands looking to expand or relocate across the Bay Area and Southern California.
• Landlord Representation Tenant placement, lease-up strategy, and lease negotiation services for commercial retail property owners and landlord clients seeking to maximize occupancy and asset value.
• Creative Lease-Up Strategy Custom lease-up strategies designed to revitalize or reposition retail properties through creative tenant mix, merchandising, and asset positioning.
• Business Growth Strategy Expansion strategy, site selection, and growth consulting for emerging and growing retail and restaurant concepts entering or expanding within California markets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lee Ann Rosenblum: 1,000+ transactions totaling $2B+
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerActive membership and regular participation in ICSC conferences and events. Company attends ICSC Las Vegas, ICSC Monterey, ICSC Palm Springs, and other ICSC events for networking and deal-making. Booths maintained at events like Booth #627 at ICSC Palm Springs.
• CBREminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-listing relationship observed on some properties. CBRE flyer referenced for 611 Santa Cruz Ave listing in Menlo Park.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Avison Young: Mid- to large-cap full-service CRE platform active in California retail leasing and investment sales. Competes with Retail West for landlord rep and retail tenant mandates at institutional shopping centers.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global full-service CRE firm with a strong retail platform handling both tenant and landlord representation for shopping centers and street-front retail. Competes with Retail West across California retail leasing assignments.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global commercial real estate services platform with a dedicated retail leasing practice that brokers store rollout programs for large national retailers. Directly comparable to Retail West in retail tenant representation but at vastly greater scale.
• Newmark Group: Full-service commercial real estate advisory with an active retail capital markets and tenant representation practice. Overlaps with Retail West on shopping center and street-front retail deals, particularly in California markets.
• Colliers International: Global CRE services firm with a dedicated retail services group handling tenant and landlord representation across major U.S. markets. Comparable on enterprise retail tenant mandates but offers a much broader service portfolio.
• CBRE: World's largest commercial real estate services firm with a major retail services practice offering tenant rep, landlord rep, investment sales and capital markets. Competes for the same enterprise retail tenant mandates as Retail West and has been documented as a co-listing partner on at least one Retail West deal.

Direct peers

• SRS Real Estate Partners: National commercial real estate brokerage exclusively dedicated to the retail sector, providing tenant and landlord representation, investment sales, and capital markets services. SRS competes with Retail West for the same retail tenant mandates (e.g., QSR, grocery, fitness) across major U.S. markets including California.
• Retail Strategies: Retail-only commercial real estate advisory that helps community developers and property owners attract retail tenants in their markets. Overlaps with Retail West on landlord representation and retail tenant placement.
• Marcus & Millichap: Specialized CRE investment sales and brokerage firm with a deep retail focus across investment sales, landlord representation, and tenant advisory. Comparable to Retail West in retail tenant-rep services, though materially larger in headcount and geographic footprint.

Regional players

• NAI Capital: Southern California-focused commercial real estate brokerage affiliated with NAI Global. Comparable to Retail West's SoCal expansion ambition and competes in the Los Angeles retail landlord/tenant representation market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RetailWest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/retail-west
• Instagraminstagram.com/retailwestinc
• Xx.com/retailwestinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Retail West